Dr Bryan Haynes

Technical Director Global Nonwovens, Kimberly-Clark Corporation

Dr Haynes currently serves as the Technical Director for Global Nonwoven at Kimberly-Clark Corporation. In his 30-year career he has held positions including R&D, management, and operations. He specialises in Front End Innovation focusing on fibre forming technologies and earned a B.S. and M.S. in Aerospace Engineering and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

Mr Benoit Rombaut

Technology Director, ANDRITZ Nonwoven

Graduated in Textile Engineering at ESTIT, France, Benoit has been working for 25 years in the design office, conception, research and now as Technology director at ANDRITZ Laroche, Cours, France. Thanks to his background in the textile industry, Benoit will provide his strong expertise on mechanical textile recycling.

Dr Eunkyoung Shim

Associate Professor, North Carolina State University College of Textiles

Shim is in the department of Textile Engineering, Chemistry and Science at North Carolina State University. She received Ph.D. in Fiber and Polymer Science from NC State University in 2001 and has 20+ years of research experiences in the of fiber & nonwoven, and filter media engineering.

Mr Johann Philipp Dilo

CEO & Managing Partner, Dilo Systems GmbH – DiloGroup

Johann Philipp Dilo is the CEO and Managing Partner of DiloGroup, with the Degree in Mechanical Engineering “Diplom-Ingenieur” from Technische Hochschule Darmstadt. Mr. Dilo is a member of the Advisory Boards of several Textile Research Institutes. He was a delegate to CEMATEX and chairman of the board VDMA-Textile Machinery Association.

Mr Lothar Kaierle

V.P. Sales Nonwovens, Trützschler Nonwovens GmbH

After receiving a Master Technician Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Technical College Aichach in 1986, he spent more than 25 years in the manufacturing industry. Lothar transferred to the United States in 1995, and currently is VP Nonwovens Sales at Trützschler USA, formerly American Truetzschler.

Mr Ruben Kins

Researcher and Project Manager, ITA Institut für Textiltechnik of RWTH Aachen University

Ruben Kins has been a researcher and project manager in the nonwovens department at Institut für Textiltechnik der RWTH Aachen University since 2020. He graduated in Automation Engineering from RWTH Aachen in 2019. His research interests lie in the creation of industrial, data-driven solutions for the optimization of nonwoven production processes.

Mr Saravanan Palani

General Manager & Director of Sales, Luwa America AG

Saravanan Palani is a Professional Engineer who has focused the past 20 years on Industrial HVAC and Filtration Systems.  He has a wealth of experience  in the traditional Textiles ( Spinning / Weaving / Knitting ) as well as Disposable Hygiene Applications, Pulp & Paper , Non -Woven, Wipes, Automotive  and others.  In his current role, Saravanan is the General Manager for Luwa Americas and Director of Sales. In this role he is responsible for a capital project team and after-market support to Luwa customers as well as legacy Pneumafil equipment. In addition, Saravanan is the Global Leader for Luwa’s Nonwoven Business Development. Saravanan holds a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering and Masters in Business Administration. Saravanan has served as co-Secretary in TAPPI since 2021.

Mr Stefan Müller

Area Sales Manager, Wetlaid, ANDRITZ Nonwoven

Studied at Hof (Germany) University of Applied Sciences Textile Technologies with focus on nonwovens processes and special textile chemistry. More than 30 years active for several reputable machinery and plant manufacturers for nonwovens web forming & bonding equipment. Joined ANDRITZ Kuesters in 2018 as Senior Sales Manager in the Wetlaid Division.

Mr Thomas Wiederer

Sales Manager, Brückner Trockentechnik GmbH & Co. KG

After graduating as a textile engineer, Thomas Wiederer first worked for Reifenhäuser Reicofil and then moved to Wunderlich Coatings in Shanghai. There, he was responsible for setting up a new production facility for coating technical textiles. Since 2006, he has been responsible for Brückner as a sales manager in the field of technical textiles and nonwovens.

Mr Walter Arne

Senior Scientist, Fraunhofer ITWM

Walter Arne is Senior Scientist at non-profit Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics in Germany since 2012. In his PhD (2009-2012) he was working on modeling and simulation of spinning processes in academic context. Since 2012 he continues his research and is responsible for simulation and optimization of different kind industrial spinning processes.

Dr Behnam Pourdeyhimi

Executive Director & Associate Dean, The Nonwovens Institute

Dr Pourdeyhimi completed his Ph.D. at the University of Leeds in 1982. He is the William A. Klopman Distinguished Professor of Textile Materials. He won ASTM D-13 Dewitt Smith Medal, The Fiber Society Distinguished Scientist award, and O’ Max Gardner award. He was the president of The Fiber Society and was inducted into the National Academy of Inventors as a Fellow in 2021.

Dr -Ing. Martin Dauner

Head of Competence Center Chemicals Fibers & Nonwovens, Deutsche Institute für Textil (DITF)

Dr Dauner has been in DITF for 37 years in the medical department developing implants and special spinning and nonwovens technologies for medical devices. For more than 20 years, he has also been leading the department for Chemical Fibres and Nonwovens, and Head of Production for Medical Materials. He has been involved in many scientific coordination and evaluations as well as industrial consulting.

Professor Stephen J. Russell

Professor of Textile Materials & Technology, Leeds Institute of Textiles and Colour

Professor Russell is the Chair of Textile Materials and Technology at the University of Leeds and is a globally recognised leader in nonwovens research. He is also Group Technical Director of the Nonwovens Innovation and Research Institute (NIRI) Ltd, a company specialising in new product development for the nonwovens industry.